Modern Combatants: European Kit Selections

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Europe is packed to the brim with more weapons than you can shake a pistol at.

By IGN Staff

In the hardcore world of military warfare, the instruments you wield can literally mean the difference between life and death. If your opponent strolls in with an ass-kicking tank and all you have is a semi-automatic handgun, you're in for a serious dose of face-mash. But in Electronic Arts' upcoming PC-inspired console actioner, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, the playing field is more than level as players have access to an assortment of deadly vehicles, weapons, and character classes.

But we've run into a bit of a problem lately. With all the talk of the recent PC hit Battlefield 2 and its inevitable Xbox 360 port coming to the next generation later this year, the most recent example of all-out violence has slipped under the radar. With all the talk of its higher-res counterparts, it seems that the general gaming populace has forgotten all about one of the coolest multiplayer console titles to come along in quite some time. Our aim is to change all that.

To do so, we're going to spend the next several weeks dedicating our Fridays to the different aspects that, in our estimation, make Battlefield 2: Modern Combat a cool gaming little experience. We plan on covering all four major military forces (the United States, European Union, China, and the newly-formed Middle East Coalition) and uncovering the vehicles and weapons that make them what they are. Once we've finished with that, it's onto the more specific tidbits of the game to found in additional features, previews, and the eventual first review. So be sure not to miss it!

This week we'll be looking at Battlefield's powerful communist nation China for the second feature in a row. It's all about kit selections this time around so make sure you pay close attention when viewing your favorite kit type.

Pick the right kit and you too can take down choppers.

European Kit Selections

Assault

L85A2 Assault rifle: Used mainly by the British forces. The A2 version is a version updated by Hechler & Koch for increased reliability in the field.

M-203 Grenade launcher: The grenade launcher is its own weapon selection. The link shows the M-203 mounted on the L85A2 rifle.

Glock 17 pistol: A reliable, lightweight pistol that is standard issue for many European armies and police forces.

M61 Fragmentation grenade: You can throw grenades at varying lengths depending on how long you hold down the button and other factors i.e. angle, speed, jumping etc... A tap will throw the grenade a medium to short length.

AN-M8 smoke grenade: Sends out clouds of smokes to conceal yourself and enemies. You can throw grenades at varying lengths depending on how long you hold down the button and other factors i.e. angle, speed, jumping etc... A tap will throw the grenade a medium to short length.

Sniper

SVU Sniper rifle: A semi-automatic shortened bull-pup version of the Russian Dragunov sniper rifle. Two to Three click ranges for zoom. Variable hit damage depending on where the shot lands. Tracers for the bullets. When the sniper looks using his scope a "flash cone" appears. The flash cone reveals his position by causing a flash of light like the sun is hitting his scope. The flash can only be seen if the player is zoomed in and the person is in the snipers flash cone and looks towards the sniper. The flash cone only appears every 5-10 seconds the actual time is TBD. If the player is not zoomed in then there is no aim help.

MP-445 Varjag pistol:

PAQ-1 Laser target designator: A sniper paints the target with a laser beam and causes a missile to drop on the target. Any target can be painted with the target designator. An indicator on the reticule in 1st person view will tell you how much longer you will have to hold down the button until the missile hits the target. If you release the button, the timer will reset. The missile itself is powerful enough to take out a tank with a direct hit, but because of its small blast radius it will not be very effective against infantry. The laser target has a battery life so that it cannot be constantly used. The battery is much like an ammo clip for a gun. Anyone that sees the vehicle can se that it is being targeted, a small polygon line will stick out from the target indicating the direction of the sniper. It will take approximately ten seconds from when you start holding down the button until the missile strikes, actual time is TBD. The reticule will change to a X to signal that an inappropriate target has been selected (i.e. the sky)

M61 Fragmentation grenade: You can throw grenades at varying lengths depending on how long you hold down the button and other factors i.e. angle, speed, jumping etc... A tap will throw the grenade a medium to short length.

Forward observer: Mini computer with GPS that allows the sniper to communicate with CENTCOM. By pressing the button he is able to update the mini map for his team and himself for a certain area around the sniper.

Special Ops

FN P90 Submachine gun: With silencer

Glock 17 pistol: With silencer. A reliable, lightweight pistol that is standard issue for many European armies and police forces.

C4 Explosives: A remote detonator is used when the SpecOps throws or places the C4 to detonate the C4. This has a power similar to that of an artillery piece from BF PC.

Randall model 1 knife: Same as the US kit

XM84 Stun Grenade: This grenade will create a flash of light when detonating that will temporarily blind nearby soldiers. The closer you are to the flash, the more intense the blinding effect will be. The blinding effect is greatly reduced if facing away from the flash when it detonates.

Combat engineer

Benelli M3: Pump-action shotgun.

Blowtorch Repair Kit: Portable welding blowtorch that you can repair vehicles with. It can also be used as a close combat weapon if used against another player at point blank range.

Glock 17 pistol: A reliable, lightweight pistol that is standard issue for many European armies and police forces.

Carl Gustav M3 Rocket launcher: The M3 is a reload able rocket launcher.

Vehicle Mines: The usual anti vehicle mines these mines are deadly to an enemy vehicle but useless against infantry. The mines cannot be destroyed by enemy fire but can be picked up by the engineer.

Combat support unit

PKM machine gun: Same as the one on the Arab kit.

M61 Fragmentation grenade: You can throw grenades at varying lengths depending on how long you hold down the button and other factors i.e. angle, speed, jumping etc... A tap will throw the grenade a medium to short length.

MP-445 Varjag pistol

Auto injector: Allows the user to heal himself or his comrades. When you press the fire button the auto injector will fire a round of healing substance into the subject (either you or another player). This will cause the subject's health to increase a set amount of points within a set timeframe. It's fast to use but the effect is as slow as the medic kit in BF1942. The good thing about that is that you don't have to stand defenseless and wait for the health to increase but can continue fighting. The auto injector will have a set amount of shots where each shot gives a set amount of health. If the subject has low health you can fire off multiple shots in succession to get a greater health increase.

Artillery strike: The combat engineer can radio in a mortar strike. This is done in 1st person view, so you aim on the area that you want to hit and then press the fire button. A radio message will be heard to confirm to the player that an artillery strike is inbound. You will hear a distant noise from an artillery piece being fired and a few seconds later you will hear the whistling sound of an incoming shell. Two seconds before impact the area where the shell will hit will be darkened slightly, as if it was shadowed. This is so that players can see the imminent danger and try to avoid it. The mortar strike command orders in one artillery round at a time and cannot be used again until the first round has landed. The artillery round has a quite limited blast radius and is a lot more effective against infantry than against vehicles. The reticule will change to an X to signal that an inappropriate target has been selected (i.e. the sky)